ItFox

The ItFox team has long been working on a group of projects with one of the largest restaurant holdings, London Restaurant Group. We have already told you about the projects we have done for them. And now we have launched a new and just a crazy project. We started it with MVP and now according to the results of pilot operation we are extending the functionality, which was and introduce new ones. Below we are going to talk about the experience we had at the MVP stage and what we have already implemented on refinement.

The client wanted to develop an application with the help of which he could monitor and control the quality of dishes at the output from the kitchen and the consumption of products, thereby raising the quality of dishes.

The customer highlighted the following objectives:

• To control the appearance of a dish when it is given away.
• To control the weight of the dish when it is given away. 
• Introduce a staff reference dish in the hall.
• Control of the weight of the dish when it leaves the kitchen.

Task:

The customer asked to develop a web interface that would be connected to Restaurant365 and analyze the information from the sensors.

Project:

Web interface to read data from the benchmarking sensors and transfer the information to the accounting software.

Implementation:

Project implementation involved: project manager, designer, 2 frontend developers, 2 backend developers, tester, team leader.

The following features were implemented in the process:

• Interface for the employees of the hall.
• Interactive screen with photos of dishes.
• Menu list based on Restaurant365.
• Interface for kitchen staff.
• Evaluation of a dish when it is taken from the kitchen to the hall.
• Supervisor interface.
• Display of the history of the return of dishes by date.
• Recording in the history all measures of a dish.

Of interesting “features”:

• Software with the help of sensors evaluates and checks with the standard inside the system the indicators of weight, appearance, and temperature.
• Specially for the software realized box through which the return of the dish. Sensors for weight, infrared camera and optical camera are installed in the box.
• Additional physical confirmation of the quality of food in the first stage by kitchen worker while serving in the box and in the second stage by employee of the dining room while receiving it through the box. 

In addition to the basic functionality, our development department offered additional functionality:

• An additional filter in the history of dish giveaway to sort by dish.
• Functionality to track dish preparation time from order to delivery.

Other options were suggested by our development department, but we won’t talk about them at this time as they are still under development.

Results:

Thanks to the implementation of the software, the customer was able to solve the following problems:

• Improve the quality of dishes.
• The average chef was able to bring his dishes closer to the standard of the Chef’s dishes.
• Increase the rating of the restaurant due to the fact that the dish more often meets the expectations of the guest.
• Increase brand awareness.

ItFox team, implemented the project for 3 months and for another 6 months we are evaluating the amount of work that will be done to bring all the customer’s wishes into the software. We will also talk about the process of working on this project in our social networks, stay tuned. 

If you have any questions, we will gladly answer them!

We have been working with our client – the largest restaurant holding company “London Restaurant Group” for more than 3 years. You can read the story of how we created applications for them in the previous our blog article, but right now we will tell you about Restotchet – this program was written specifically for “LRG” to close the need to improve the quality of cost and income accounting in the restaurant business.

In managing a restaurant, it is important to keep proper cash flow records. Sometimes this becomes a big problem, because in addition to common income and expenses, it is necessary to account for spending on food production, calculate employee salaries and more.

Restaurant managers are constantly faced with the dilemma of how to keep track of expenses and income from different sources.

The difficulty is that there may be several restaurants and each has its own characteristics, while the manager is alone and it is important for him to see all the expenses and understand the overall picture for all locations.

If you do accounting in excel, the discrepancies in the format of reports from different restaurants are inevitable. Sometimes even the form of the report in one and the same restaurant can be different.

So we had the task:

To consolidate all expenses and revenues in one program and make it easy to view the final report so that managers can analyze the big picture.

The development of the web application can be divided into the following stages:

 1 Writing a prototype. First we wrote a test version on the 1C platform and uploaded all kinds of expenses and income there.

 2 Testing. At this stage we studied the mechanism we had written, tested it in action and detected flaws. During this time we have stepped on a lot of rake holes, spent weeks on the harmonization of reports, and also significantly simplified the interface and removed all the redundant and improved the UI.

 3 Integration. Here we adjusted the joint work of the program with other systems, such as:

 R-keeper and iiko – they transmit information about the daily sales with details.

 StoreHouse and 1C-catering – they transmit information about the cost of food, low-value and fast-moving items

 1C-accounting – transmits information about cashless payments, depreciation of fixed assets, etc.

 Client-Bank – allows to load cashless payments directly to Restaurantaccount.

 4 Choice of platform. In our work we used microservice architecture for integrations, Python server language and Django admin, FastAPI, React on front end. In the end we chose the technology we used to write the final version.

 At the end we had a universal Restoreport, which:

 -Gives the restaurateur or business owner the ability to quickly and easily monitor key financial indicators.

 -Allows the management personnel to delegate tasks

 –Connects all employees-accountants, managers, storekeepers, financiers-into a single system

 Implementation:

Project implementation involved: project manager, designer, 2 frontend developers, 2 backend developers, tester, team leader.

 The following functions were implemented in the process of work:

 -Role manager who sees planned and current spending with advances and actual expenses

 -Accountant’s role, who sees the balance sheet, may see the journal of transactions

 -Role of the owner, who sees all transactions and can make various types of reports.

 Results

 The usefulness of Restoretchet for the restaurant business is obvious.

 Thanks to the implementation of this software, the customer was able to:

 -Fastly delegate restaurant management to any employee

 -Quickly get reports on the restaurant from any device

 -See unified reports with the possibility of detailed analysis

 User friendliness

 -The new software complex uses modern technology

 -Easyly accessible from any browser

 -Integrates with main information systems of restaurant business.

 If you have any questions or would like to create a similar project, just leave a request and we will call you back!

In November 2021 we were approached by a company from Perm with an interesting idea.

Due to aggressive policy of IP intercom monopolists in Perm region, AVT-telecom CEO decided to develop software and mobile application that would help to be competitive with providers.

The customer’s idea was to receive intercom calls through a mobile app with the ability to remotely open doors.

Preparation:

The ITFox team researched the market, the customer’s path when using the software, all the processes along the way, including the installation of IP intercoms.

A software product was then proposed that would meet all of the customer’s requirements.

The research showed that there was no equivalent product on the market that would give the ability to handle multiple types of intercoms in a single web application.

We divided the work into several stages:

– Description of the desired functionality from the customer

– Developed prototypes for software and mobile apps

– We developed the design for the app

– Approved it

– Proceeded with the development

– Tested.

It happens that the development process changes, for example the customer comes up with a new feature, or, on the contrary, decides not to develop some part of the functionality – we always meet the wishes and practice the “flexible approach”.

And that time, after reviewing some of the processes it was clear that the product should have more advanced functionality:

-Have a module for requests to the emergency dispatch service

-Keep a checklist to work with the dispatcher

-Synchronize with 1C

-Add other buildings to the system

-Have the ability to create personal accounts for tenants

-To have information about accounts, debts and payments for services.

Interesting “features”

-In order to allow other companies to pay and use the system, we have developed the necessary functionality and connected acquiring.

-We created a call log.

-We combined several types of intercoms

-Integration with doorway cameras

Implementation:

The project was implemented with assistance of a project manager, a designer, a front-end-developer, a back-end-developer, a tester and a team-leader.

So, on the first stage, the software and mobile application, which reflects the needs of the customer and the companies, involved in installation and maintenance of intercom systems on the Russian market, were implemented.

The implementation of all conceived stages and processes will help the customer to achieve the following goals:

-Monetize the mobile application by connecting other companies

-To bring real benefit and convenience to the customer

-To be able to constantly develop and supplement the application with unique functionality.

-Beneficially differentiate ourselves from our competitors and be more competitive.

We thank the AVT-telecom team for their trust and courageous decisions!

Do you have an idea of creating a similar product?

We invite you to discuss all the details during a free consultation

In June 2021, a client reached out to us and wanted to develop a mobile app for weight loss.

The main “feature” of the project was the ability to organize “weight loss games” and place bets.

Task:

It was necessary to develop a mobile app for IOS and Android, where you could get money for the kilos you lost.

The product should motivate people for losing weight in a game form.

We needed to do the following steps:

• While analyzing the market and nearest competitors
• After analysis to propose a version of the product which would differ from the competitors and have certain advantages
• Draw up a prototype of the application
• Propose and approve the design
• Select the development technology stack and programming language
• Develop a privacy and security policy.

The research proposed a pleasing and laconic design that stood out from the competition in a winning way.

implementation:

Project implementation involved: project manager, designer, front-end-developer, back-end-developer, tester, team-leader.

Python and Django framework were selected as a server stack.

Frontend was written in react naitive.

The following features were implemented for the “Slim Game” application:

• Chat access
• A personal account of the user with the ability to post photos and participate in games
• The ability to create their own games, public or private with access by link
• Authorization by SMS
• Administrator and moderator personal cabinet
• Integration with the bank payment system for betting and receiving winnings
• Block Q&A with feedback option

The application was released in November 2021 on Google Play.

If you have any questions or would like to create a similar project, just leave a request and we will call you back!

A mobile app for IOS and Android, helping one book tours and transfers while visiting countries all over the world.

Goal:
Our client needed a mobile app, which would allow tourists to receive all the information about tours in the country of their visit, book tours and transfers via the app.

Realization:
Our team included a project manager, a designer, backend and frontend developers, and a QA.

During the process of the work our team managed to implement the following functions:

• choice of location
• tour catalog
• tour information
• tour booking
• transfer booking
• informational blocks (privacy policy, terms of use, etc.)

Some extraordinary features:

• filters, based on the number of people, tour duration, and its type (walking, auto, etc.)
• opportunity to book a tour for a certain date
• transfer booking, based on different tariff plans (standard, comfort, business, etc.)

Results:

The app is a part of a major project, which aims to entail tourist agencies, catering services, and other entertainment enterprises. During the testing phase, our project has received positive feedback, being improved on the go.

Our client presented an extraordinary problem: he needed a meditation app, which would use 3D objects and provide streaming service functionality.

Realization:

Our team included a project manager, a designer, backend and frontend developers, and a QA.
During the process of the work our team managed to implement the following functions:

• registration via mobile number/google+/social networks
• user’s personal account
• meditation catalog
• stream timetable and PUSH-notifications
• chat room
• FAQ

Some extraordinary features:

• unusual design of the app, which includes 3D elements (in particular, user’s playlists are shaped as 3D planets). During the process of development, our team used Unity and Flutter.
• several subscription options with different levels of access
• starting video, containing an overview of the meditational galaxy.

​​Results:

• The mobile app is fundamentally different from its competitors in its core idea and visualization. The user dives into the world of meditation with the help of exciting elements (access to new planets, space traveling, discovering new worlds), being motivated to purchase a paid subscription. The app has been developed, basing on two fundamental elements: the user’s interest and its maintaining, which allows one to increase the number of downloads and save current clients.

The customer turned to us to:

1) Introduce a new product to the Nigerian market that facilitates the activities of PoS agents.

2) Simplify the system of interaction with PoS-agents.

3) Ensure the security of financial relationships.

The customers highlighted the following goals:

• Make cache withdrawals easy and secure.
• To make the application profitable and comfortable to use for both a PoS agent and a customer.

The client had a goal but no requirements specification, only a general idea without a specific plan, that is why the ItFox team was instructed to perform a full study, prototyping and analysis. Through this work, an initial terms of reference was developed, which was already being refined during implementation.

Project:

• A mobile app and web site were created for the project. It also used Django framework and its API component Django Rest Framework.
• Frontend was written with TypeScript and django 
• A turnkey design project was developed.

ItFox has launched Get Coach, a personal trainer matching service that contains a complete set of tools for organizing online workouts as well as managing the entire training process. The essence of the application is to make ordering a service from a personal trainer easier than hailing a cab.
The app solves a lot of issues that arise from issues such as:

• Coaches in the gym are expensive.
• Having to spend a lot of time researching a trainer’s portfolio.
• Trainers have different formats of training materials – some have Excel or Word, some use PDF booklets, some still make programs by hand and send photos, which makes it difficult to store them and they are often lost. 
• There is no single place to store the training diary.
• Often the quality of training materials does not match the declared level of the trainer (despite the long search). 
• It is difficult to check your progress, you have to look for photos and results of measurements in WhatsApp and Telegram, and sometimes in Instagram directly.

Project:
Developing a mobile app for IOS and Android platforms

Task:
It was necessary to develop a mobile application and a website for online payments for housing and communal services

Implementation:
A simple but functional design was chosen for the application and the browser version of the personal account. We used data loading “on the fly” for more comfortable work without the need to refresh the page.

Technologies:
TypeScript, Express, Postgress, VueJS, ReactNative.

Project:
Development of a mobile app for IOS and Android platforms. Integration with the Bitrix CMS.

Task:
It was necessary to develop a mobile app for the grocery store chain. Also, we needed to connect the app to a site on the Bitrix platform.

Implementation:
The main purpose of this application is to increase profits through online sales, so the functionality of ordering goods with their previous delivery was implemented in it. In addition, a loyalty program (discount cards) was made in this application, thanks to the achievement of the number of repeated purchases. An additional functionality was the ability to find out the cost of a tool by means of a barcode.

Technologies: TypeScript, ReactNative, CMS Bitrix.

Project:
Developing a mobile app for IOS and Android platforms;

Task:
The task was to develop a mobile app for online astrological forecasts;

Implementation:
The implementation of the project was complicated by the need to obtain correct data on the location of various planets. Most similar services give incorrect results under certain boundary conditions. We made a decision to deploy our own server for calculating the position of the planets, where we could configure the conditions according to the customer’s wishes;

Technologies: TypeScript, Express, Postgress, ReactNative.

Project:
Developing a mobile app for IOS and Android platforms

Task:
It was necessary to develop a mobile app for a chain of restaurants and bars;

Implementation:
The app must allow bar and restaurant users to participate in the loyalty program as specified by the customer. For this purpose, the user can show the QR code of the app to the serving waiter to get additional privileges.
A special feature of the app is that, depending on the account, the user sees either the client interface or the interface intended for maintenance personnel.

Results:
Mobile app for IOS and Android platforms;
Web server for data storage;

Technologies: TypeScript, Express, Postgress, ReactNative.